The Morcai Battalion: Invictus Part 13

"What was that?" Dtimun asked, staring at Chacon with cold, furious eyes.

"I never touched her!" Chacon argued. "Except to bring her here. I do not think Sfilla could have carried her, and it was dangerous to leave her lying in the street!"

"I would like to point out that if there's any fault, it was mine," Madeline said, exasperated, as she glared at Dtimun. "And would you mind explaining why you have a paid a.s.sa.s.sin pretending to be my servant woman?"

Dtimun grimaced, a very human expression. "The pregnancy makes you vulnerable to attack," he said through his teeth. "It would have been unwise to allow you out of my sight alone, especially here in this haven for thieves and murderers."

"He does have a point, Ruszel," Chacon said. He frowned. "You were at the point of death only a short time ago. How is that you and he-" he indicated Dtimun "-are here together in such a disguise?"

"A question I should also like answered," Princess Lyceria said worriedly. "You must be aware of the risk you take!"

"We have a...crewman," Dtimun said, choosing his words, "who has traveled in time. He came back, among other reasons, to find a means of saving your life," he told Chacon flatly. "He said that if you die, this timeline dies with you."

Chacon scoffed. "A seer," he said gruffly. "They are flawed."

"They are not," Princess Lyceria said firmly. "We have such a seer at Mahkmannah. It was she who saw Ruszel's rise to prominence among us, who predicted her emergence as a catalyst to change our world."

Chacon stared at her with eyes that quickly changed from mockery to frank affection. "Perhaps there are some who have the gift," he conceded. "But what danger could I possibly be in?" he added. "I have my bodyguard, including Lieumek who is the oldest and most trusted of my underlings. They never leave me.

And Chan Ho Chan," he added, using the whole name of the Rojok Dynasty leader, "would not dare send a.s.sa.s.sins after me. I am far more popular with our people than he is. It would be political suicide!"

"That's why he plans to have you kidnapped, sir," Madeline said gently, "and sold into slavery. You would disappear. There would be no body, no certainty of death, but you would be removed and Chan Ho would build more ovens at Ahkmau."

"She speaks truth," Dtimun agreed. "Which brings us to our presence here." He gave Princess Lyceria a look that promised retribution. "Your family is frantic," he said coldly. "Your presence here only heightens the risk to Chacon."

"I had to warn him," Lyceria argued. "I tried sending messages, but I could not penetrate the nexus controls with flashes. I had no idea that any of you knew the true situation, which I learned from Captain -" she stopped at once "-from a soldier of my acquaintance."

"Rhemun," Dtimun said with a flash of brown anger. "I will have something to say to him when we return."

"If Edris Mallory hasn't killed him by then," Madeline said with pursed lips.

"Pardon me?" the princess asked.

"Mallory is Madeline's a.s.sistant," Dtimun explained with faint amus.e.m.e.nt. "She has taken a violent dislike to the captain of the kehmatemer, and he to her."

"There was a rumble before we left Memcache," Madeline agreed. "She threw a soup ladle at him, and he turned a pot of soup over her head."

The princess had to smother a laugh. So did Chacon.

"That does not sound like the captain," Lyceria commented.

"Who is supposed to be kidnapping me?" Chacon interrupted. "I have only my bodyguard with me here."

"Yes, but why did you come here?" Dtimun wanted to know.

Lyceria looked guilty. Chacon glanced at her and grimaced.

"I see," Dtimun murmured coolly.

"I had to warn him," Lyceria repeated defensively. "He saved our lives at Ahkmau."

"He's saved mine twice," Madeline replied quietly, with a glance at Chacon. "When Komak told us the danger of doing nothing, we thought the risk was worth our lives."

Lyceria had only just noticed the bulge under Madeline's robes. She caught her breath. "That cannot be what it looks like," she said hesitantly, with a truly frightened look at Dtimun. "The protocols...!"

Dtimun raised an eyebrow and bent to draw back, discreetly, the fabric from Madeline's collarbone, where the scar of bonding was noticeable.

"You have bonded?" Lyceria said, aghast. She went very still. "With...witnesses?"

Dtimun nodded. "Caneese performed the ceremony and the court physicians attended Madeline subsequently."

"So many people, to know such a dangerous secret," Lyceria groaned.

"Caneese will make certain that the secret is kept," Dtimun said. "You must also swear not to reveal it.

Madeline's pregnancy is the only protection we will have while we search for the a.s.sa.s.sin."

"Yes, and it is a wise disguise," Lyceria agreed, "but what about afterward?" she asked with real and evident concern for both of them.

Madeline's thoughts were laid bare. She was too unsettled to block them.

Lyceria gasped. She stared at Madeline with horror. "You would regress the child?" she exclaimed. "But it is not possible!"

Madeline was very calm. "It's a simple procedure," she said gently. "He'll be absorbed back into the tissues of my body."

"The part of him that is you, will be," Lyceria corrected, her lovely eyes almost wincing. "But the part that is Cehn-Tahr, which is sentient, cannot be absorbed. It would have to be surgically removed, and the pain...!"

Madeline had not, until that moment, realized the flaw in her own argument. The child had two strands of DNA: Dtimun's and her own. Alien DNA, unlike human, could never be absorbed back into her body.

And if the child was truly sentient even at this early stage, it would be agony.... She ground her teeth together.

Dtimun said nothing. But he looked at Lyceria with an opaque blue stare, which she answered with one of her own.

Madeline frowned at what seemed like a staring contest. But she knew it was something more.

Chacon glanced at Madeline and sighed. "They converse in a manner which we cannot understand," he said. "Let us hope they are not plotting something unspeakable."

After a minute, the two Cehn-Tahr stopped communicating. Dtimun's eyes were laughing as he looked at Madeline. So were Lyceria's.

Madeline glanced at Sfilla, who had just entered the room. "Did you hear any of that?" she asked with a pointed glare. "a.s.sa.s.sins should be able to read minds as well as lips. And thank you very much for offering to let me teach you hand-to-hand. You're probably a master trainer!"

Sfilla grinned. "I am. I am skilled in all martial arts, including the Kahn-Bo, in which I have only one or two superiors. I, too, learned my craft as a child."

Madeline shook her head. "I never suspected."

"You are only vulnerable while you carry the child," Sfilla said gently. "I am useful during this time. Do not resent my presence."

"I wasn't resenting it," Madeline a.s.sured her. She laughed. "It will give us more to talk about when we don't have anything else to do." She glanced at Chacon. "But now that we've found you, sir, it's still a question of rooting out your potential kidnappers and preventing them from doing their job."

"I agree," Dtimun said. "Both of you must move into this hotel. In separate rooms," he added with a pointed glance at Lyceria, who actually blushed.

"The princess has nothing to fear from me in that regard," Chacon a.s.sured Dtimun stiffly. "I know the law."

"So does he, but that doesn't stop him from breaking it," Madeline piped in.

Dtimun shot her a hot glare. "You will refrain from speaking of me in such a manner."

"Oh, get real," she muttered back. "What are you going to do, sir, put me on report and stick me in the brig?" She looked around. "Where are you going to find a brig on Benaski Port?"

Dtimun's lips made a thin line. "You can be confined to your room. There are master locks!"

"And I can break out of windows!" she shot back with glittering green eyes.

Lyceria, fascinated and amused, moved between them. "There is the matter of the kidnapping?" she reminded them.

Madeline s.h.i.+fted in the bed, still glowering at Dtimun, who was glaring at her. But they stopped arguing.

All at once, Madeline gasped and touched her stomach. The child was not only moving, he was reproving her for fighting with his father. She stared at Dtimun, uncertain whether she should reveal the fact that she could communicate with the child in her womb.

He moved closer, knelt and placed his hand on her swollen stomach. He smiled. Then he laughed. He glanced at Chacon and Lyceria. "He does not like it when his parents argue."

"He speaks to you?" Lyceria asked, fascinated.

Dtimun nodded. He looked up at Madeline. She laughed.

"Human babies don't do this," Madeline tried to explain. Then she thought of the regression and anguish overcame her.

Dtimun touched his forehead to hers. "You must not think of these things. You must concentrate on why we are here. The rest will be sorted out in the future. You must trust me, as you always have."

She didn't understand what he meant, but she didn't argue. Her hand came up and smoothed the hair at his temple. It did, she thought, feel so much like thick fur....

He pulled back, still smiling.

Chacon had many contacts among the underworld figures who inhabited Benaski Port. He took Dtimun with him to try to dig information out of them about his potential kidnapping. But even the friendliest of them knew nothing specific. There were rumors. But nothing more could be ascertained.

"This is frustrating," Dtimun muttered when they returned to the hotel.

Chacon sighed. "I still find it difficult to believe that Ho Chan Ho would resort to such a foolish act."

"I can see his point of view," the other alien remarked. "He would not dare have you killed. He would be immediately suspect, as the two of you have argued political viewpoints too often."

"It would be convenient for him if I vanished," Chacon muttered. "He would rebuild Ahkmau and return the terror policies of Mangus Lo which I opposed for so many years."

"Your race's political leaders leave much to be desired," Dtimun said curtly.

Chacon chuckled. "I will not return the accusation. Your government has a stability which is quite envied in the three galaxies."

"We can credit the emperor with that stability," he mused. "Our provincial governors are capable and incorruptible as well."

"Your emperor has held power for many years. What will happen when he steps down?" Chacon wondered aloud. "He has no heir."

Dtimun averted his eyes. "The Clan Alamantimichar is not without candidates."

"Yes, but it will take a strong hand to rule an empire."

Dtimun nodded. "The emperor has ruled for centuries. Considering his life span, I think it unlikely that he will need to abdicate in favor of an heir." He said. "It is amusing to consider him in a retirement ward."

"That will never happen," Chacon laughed.

"I agree." Dtimun sobered. "We still have no clue as to your potential kidnappers. This is frustrating."

Lyceria walked into the room and smiled at the two males. Sfilla was right behind her. "Have you found out something?" Lyceria asked.

Chacon smiled at her. "You can read minds," Chacon replied. "Perhaps if we walk through the bazaar and you focus your attention on the shops...?"

Lyceria returned the smile. "It is not so easy to single out one individual's thoughts from those of a crowd.

Even for me."

Chacon sighed. "I could stand in the pavilion in the center of the city and wait for developments."

Dtimun shook his head. "Unwise."

"I do not like a threat hanging over my head." His slitted eyes narrowed even more. "I will have Lieumek activate his spy network and see if he can determine a suspect."

"Can you think of an agent who would accept such an a.s.signment?"

Chacon frowned, deep in thought. "I know the head of our intelligence services. He and my family are linked through marriage. I might contact him."

"Do it covertly and do not tell him where you are," the other advised quietly.

Chacon laughed. "He can be trusted."

"No one can be trusted in such circ.u.mstances," Dtimun said curtly.

"Very well. But you are wrong about him."

"We shall see."

"If you please," Sfilla interrupted, "let me use my sources before you commit to such an action." Her expression was open, concerned.

Chacon sighed. He looked at Dtimun, who nodded. "Very well. I will wait to contact him. For the moment."

"I will get to work at once," Sfilla said. She even smiled.

"She has a kind smile," Chacon mused. "I imagine it would remain while she was slitting my throat."